Deputy's Check Of Van License Leads To Theft Arrest

SANFORD — A Seminole County deputy sheriff who routinely checked a license tag on a van parked in an Interstate 4 rest area Monday recovered a stolen vehicle and arrested the driver for grand theft.

Deputy Kevin Mahanke discovered that the 1984 blue and silver Dodge van was stolen after he ran a computer check on the Texas license plate number. He ran the check after noticing three people sleeping in the van, parked in an eastbound rest area, at 3:30 a.m.

Roger Dale Keith, 27, of Victoria, Texas, was charged with grand theft and was being held Monday in the Seminole County jail. Bond was set at $3,500.